


Flaming Rot

by CherryBerryKomainu



Series: Silk And Sword And Swindling [6]
Category: Dororo (Anime 2019)
Genre: Avoidance, Fix-It, Fix-it fic, Hyakkimaru has trauma, If no body was found then the bitch can’t officially be declared dead, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Running Away, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, being hunted down, cannibalism mentioned, metaphorical demons turned literal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 22:03:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19364815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryBerryKomainu/pseuds/CherryBerryKomainu
Summary: Hyakkimaru didn’t leave to find himself, he was fleeing.Shiranui survived the bombing, he wished he didn’t.





	Flaming Rot

Hyakkimaru sat against the cold stone of the cave he hid in, his head pounded, his eyes stung, his mind begged for sleep. It would be so easy to just close his eyes and let the darkness consume him.

But if he did that, he wouldn’t ever awaken.

Not a few minutes past before the crackling sound of flame alerted Hyakkimaru to run, and though his body screamed in protest, he fled. With his eyes, he could no longer navigate in the dark as easily, multiple times he had tripped or fallen as he blindly ran away from his tireless foe. 

Ever since he had escaped the palace, he had seen it, just out of the corner of his eye. And everyday it got closer, and closer, until he could feel it’s hot breath on his skin as it loomed over him in his sleep, until all he could smell was burnt flesh and ash, until he could hear its voice above any other sound.

‘Those are mine.’ It called, spurring Hyakkimaru to run faster, it wouldn’t be long now until he could hear its talons dig into the ground and it’s hooves press clop to move forward. ‘Give them back. That’s my body! I’ll kill all those that stand in my way!’

Fear, cold as death, kept Hyakkimaru from replying, the demon, it sounded too much like his own voice. But it couldn’t be him, he was human! Not a flaming bird like beast.

The very sight of the thing haunted his every thought, it was as tall as a house, a head with no eyes and a beak full of teeth connected to a long neck that connected to a body pieced with swords. Two feathery wing like arms with talons for hands took to the front of the beast, and multiple horse like legs lined it from its stomach to the end of its thrashing tail. All the while, it was in a constant state of burning. Hot red, orange, and yellow flames twisted into the air from its body. And on its chest, a dark, jagged purple crystal was embedded. 

Hyakkimaru did not know if it could fly, and he prayed he would never find out. No matter where he hid, the demon found him, squeezing itself through the smallest of gaps to get to him. It never rested, never hurt, never tired, the only way he could escape it, was to hide, and even then the time he had to regain himself was never enough. It was as if the demon could see him through any object.

It was only a matter of time before the beast caught him, eventually Hyakkimaru would no longer be able to move, and then he would be consumed by the flames.

But that would not happen just yet, so he kept running.

———

Shiranui hissed in disgust as he uncovered yet another rotting corpse. ‘Damnit,’ he thought, ‘This place is nothing but rot… I’ll need to venture into the ocean.’ 

Normally, he would not dread the ocean, in fact, he would welcome it. But things had changed, now when he entered the water his senses went haywire, filling his brain enough to nearly burst. And his body didn’t know how to react, one half of him told him to hold his breath, yet another encouraged him to breath in the water. And it burned. It burned so badly.

Shiranui used his new arm, a last gift from Jiromaru, possibly one of his own limbs sized down, to dig a pit to bury the corpse, as to smother the smell of decay. When he entered the water, the smell of the dead on the island assaulted his poor nose so much he could not breathe.

Once buried, he made his way for the sea, no matter how much it hurt, he would live.

Suddenly a fire overtook the sky, not above the island, no it came from mainland. Shiranui froze, staring in horror as it circled one area, and slowly got closer to the sea until-

It disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place. 

But it had been headed right for this island, and instinct told him that it was not truly gone.

Food would come later, he could stomach a few scraps of rotten meat, he needed to prepare himself for the coming storm.

**Author's Note:**

> The plot continues to roll on! Next instalment will centre around Kokodo, Tahomaru, and Dororo, and then the one after that will return to focusing on Hyakkimaru and Shiranui. That’s the pattern going forward, each part will switch between two main groups. We just have one more character to introduce! But that will happen later.


End file.
